Connecter



Dec. 31, 1935. R, LL 2,026,490

CONNECTER Filed Oct. 14, 1933 INVENTOR ATT ORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1935V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONNECTER Robert A. Bell, Montclair, N.J., assignor to The Rajah Company, Bloomfield, N. J., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application October 14, 1933, Serial No. 693,574 2 Claims.(61.173-269) This invention relates to a connecter terminal A preferredembodiment of my invention is for electrical conductors. The connecterof this shown in the accompanying drawing, in which invention isparticularly adapted for use with fe- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectionshowing a terminal male terminals, such for example as are commonembodying my invention inserted in the female on the high tensiondistributor of automotive igterminal in the top of a distributor cap; 5nition systems. More particularly, the invention Fig. 2 is a bottom viewof the terminal emrelates to a spring connecter adapted to accombodyingmy invention, e. g., as illustrated in- Fig. modate itself to a varietyof female connecters of l, with a part of the coil spring broken awayvarious sizes and proportions, and to form with to show the method ofattaching the spring terany a satisfactory tight electrical connection.minal to the ferrule: 10

In a Patent No. 1,933,304 I disclose a spring Fig. 3 is an end View ofthe male terminal terminal formed of an open helix of spring wire, shownin Fig. l; and

i. e., having the turns thereof spaced apart, the Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, showing a helix being slightly flattened fromcylindrical differently proportioned female terminal.

shape. The open helix and the flattening there- Fig. 5 shows theterminal in relaxed condition. 15 of were used in that case in order topermit the In Fig. 1 is shown a portion of a distributor turns of thehelix better to engage in grooves in cap Ill, into which is molded afemale terminal the female terminal so as to secure the spring ll openat the top through a throat I2 in the connecter in position within thefemale terminal. distributor cap. A recess l3 in the terminal I I is IThe flattening of the helix, moreover, was found provided to serve as alatch for holding the con- 20 to be important, because upon insertingthe male necter against accidental separation from the spring into thefemale terminal, the pressure terminal.

tended to close the turns of the helix together, The connecter in thiscase consists of a ferrule and thereby to expand it radially. With the20 crimped at its upper edge about an insulated flattened helix,additional pressure permitted the conductor 2|. The ends of theconductor are 25 expanded helix to be forced into the female terbaredand bent back over the insulation so as to minal by forcing the springback into a circular contact with the inside of the ferrule 20. Theform, whereas, upon being released, the spring end of the ferrule isconstricted and bent over, as returned to its elliptical form, and madesecure shown at '22, to secure one end of the spring 23 contact in thefemale terminal. to the ferrule. The opposite end of the spring 30 Ihave now found that it is not necessary to may be left free as shown at24 on the drawing. use the flattened terminal, and that the expense Theupper edge of the ferrule 20 is crimped so of the flattening operationmay be eliminated if as to form spaced folds which are pressed into thpr heliX i made tight, 1- with its turns the insulation on the cable andform a secure enclose together. Whereas it had been supposed gagementtherewith, whereby the cable and 35 ha t Sp Would have to be capable ofterminal maybe twisted together for the inser-- resilient deformationwhen axially pushed into t of the spring into t female terminal, as thefemale terminal to permit its insertion, and already described aboveThis crimping, or some to calfse one or more turns of the hehxequivalent method of securing the spring to the gage the groove of Wfemale tenflmal I insulator cable so that it may be twisted without 40have now found that a fight spn'al sprmg may slippage between theterminal and the cable, and

be made to fit into the female terminal and be without injury to thecable, is extrmeh,

securely held therein if it is twisted upon inserportant when the tightSpiral terminal is used as tion so as to wind up the spring. The effectof Shown and described above this is to attenuate the spring to asmaller di- It is to he understood that many changes and ameter, andthus to permit its insertion into the modifications other than thoseSpecifically female terminal. Uponrelease, the spring again cussed abovemay be made within the scope of expands and forms an even more securecontact my invention.

than in the case of the open helix, even when rwhat I claim 50 flattenedas described 1n my prior Patent No. I A terminal cc,nhecter comprising afemale 1,933,304. The terminal is pOSSeSSed Of all terminal cup shapedand having an electrically of the advantages of that described andclaimed conductive portion at its inner urface adapted in y P pp ut to agreater degree, to contact with a male terminal inserted therein .55 andfurthermore, may be made more cheaply. as hereinafter specified, a maleterminal comprising an electrically conductive coil spring of normaldiameter slightly greater than the corresponding inside dimension of thefemale terminal and the turns of which coil spring are substantiallytouching one another, an insulated conductor electrically connected tosaid spring, and means mechanically connecting the outside of theinsulated conductor to the end of said spring which when the terminalsare connected 10 is outermost from the bottom of the cup-shaped terminalwhereby an axial pull tends to elongate the spring, said connectingmeans being adapted to transmit a twisting torque to said spring forinsertion of the male terminal into said female terminal and an axialpull thereto for removal of the male terminal from the female terminal.

2. A terminal connecter as defined in claim 1 in which the coil issubstantially circular in cross section.

ROBERT A. BELL.

